As the ruling coalition has driven him to a tight spot and there is not much he can do about to get out of it, the best option for General Musharraf is to step down before being impeached. This is what his political allies are counselling. Ch Shujaat Hussain who dashed to Islamabad on Saturday and met him for the second time in a week suggested to him to make an honourable exit before the start of impeachment proceedings, while making it clear to him that if he ever tried to dissolve the assemblies he would not be backed by the PML-Q. The comment came on the heels of a statement by one-time Musharraf apologist Sheikh Rashid Ahmad that it would be better for him to "say goodbye" than invoke Article 58 (2)b for which the army would not support him. A Daily Telegraph report has meanwhile quoted an unidentified senior Pakistani official as saying that the army wanted Musharraf "to be spared the humiliation of impeachment". It indicated that the COAS would tell the President to resign within a week. The ruling coalition's move to oust the President seems to be gathering momentum since its top leadership agreed in a summit last week to a proposal for the impeachment proceedings to precede the reinstatement of deposed judges. It received a boost on Saturday after four senators from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas announced their support for the motion. PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, who is also a member of the special committee tasked with drafting a chargesheet against General Musharraf as well as resolutions to be tabled by the provincial assemblies asking him to seek a vote of confidence or face impeachment, told the media that the coalition had the support of 325 members of the National Assembly and the Senate. Information Minister Sherry Rehman's conservative estimate jacks up the number to 350. PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari, who claimed that he was 110 percent sure of the success of the move, recalled that he had advised General Musharraf two months ago to step down but he did not pay any heed. And while expressing his confidence that the army would not come in the way of the impeachment process, he laid to rest the rumours that he himself was a candidate for the presidency. The President, however, continues to insist on fighting back and defending himself against the chargesheet in a democratic way because he still believes that he has done noting wrong to justify his resignation. Rather than being stubborn he should better lend an ear to those advising him to avoid the path of confrontation. It is highly dangerous to push the country towards turmoil. It is time he opted for a voluntary exit and saved himself from being indicted for a series of illegal and repressive acts he had committed during his protracted rule.